Southern Illinois University
15-3 (5-1)
Bradley
5-10 (2-4)
Men's Basketball Beats Bradley, 55-49
01/16/2002 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
Jan 17, 2002
PEORIA, Ill. Southern Illinois grinded out a 55-49 win over Bradley in a fierce defensive struggle Wednesday night in front of 9,231 fans at Carver Arena.
Bradley, known for its defensive tenacity, clamped down on the Salukis, holding them to a season-low 22 points in the second half. But SIU was even more effective on defense, limiting the Braves to 32.5 percent from the field in the game, including 1-of-11 from 3-point range.
"It was a heavyweight boxing match," Saluki head coach Bruce Weber said. "The teams kept pounding on each other. It was very physical. We made enough baskets and found a way to win it."
Marcus Belcher led Southern Illinois in scoring with 12 points, including a clutch 3-pointer late in the game when the outcome was still in doubt.
With the win, the Salukis (15-3, 5-1) maintained their hold on first place in the Missouri Valley Conference, while the Braves (5-10, 2-4) dropped their second straight league game.
In the first half, Southern Illinois used a 17-4 run to build its biggest lead of the game, 27-13, with 7:30 left. Most of the scoring during the run was done from outside the arc, as Brad Korn, Belcher and Stetson Hairston connected from 3-point range on consecutive possessions.
Bradley trimmed the deficit to 33-26 at halftime.
The second half was a defensive war as the Salukis extended their lead, despite not making a field goal in the first nine minutes of the half. Jermaine Dearman's jumper at 11:00 was SIU's first bucket from the field in the second half and gave the Salukis a 41-30 advantage.
However, Bradley rallied back and eventually cut the deficit to two, 47-45, with 3:29 remaining in the game.
Belcher hit the key basket, a 3-pointer with 31 seconds left to give SIU a 52-47 lead.
"(Bradley) played with a lot of heart," Belcher said. "Their coach has them playing great defense. You have to respect that."
